Garment forms for use in making fur garments and the like



'Spt. '12; 1967 Filed Dec. 20, 1965 I FIG. 1..

' GARMENT FORMS FOR USE. IN MAKING FUR GARMENTS AND THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENT I ATTORNEYS THEODORE A. sAwALu-zsu Sept. 12.1967 "r. A. SAWALLESH 3,341,095 GARMENT FORMS FOR USE IN MAKING FUR GARMENTS AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 20, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inf I ll/ 20 19 HEODORE A .SAWALLESH ATTORNEYS INVENTOR Sept. 12. 1967 T. A. SAWALLESH 3,341,095 I GARMENT FORMS FOR USE IN MAKING FUR GARMENTS AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 20, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet Z INVENTOR ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,341,095 GARMENT FORMS FOR USE IN MAKING FUR GARMENTS AND THE LIKE Theodore A. Sawallesh, 3011 Westcott St., Falls Church, Va. 22042 Filed Dec. 20, 1965, Ser. No. 515,072 4 Claims. (Cl. 22368) The present invention relates to stretching and shaping forms for fur garments and the like, and more particularly, to an improved garment form which facilitates the making of fur garments, such as coats and jackets, 111 one piece, while assuring accuracy of size and shape.

Heretofore, it has been the usual practice the fur garment industry to stretch and lay out fur sklns on a flat surface, with the skins tacked or nailed to the sur face until ready for cutting into the desired number of pieces or sections, each conforming to a predetermined pattern, after which the pieces or sections are sewed together. Generally, coats and jackets are laid out and made up from six separate pieces, not counting the sleeves, these pieces consisting of two front pieces, .two gores, and two back pieces. This obviously requires considerable handling and matching of the skins, and necessitates considerable care and skill, which makes the manufacturing operations very expensive and laborious.

According to the present invention, I have provided a special and improved garment form which is simple and easy to use, even by workers of relatively low skill, and which enables the fur skins to be stretched and shaped to any desired size, shape or style, all in one piece, except for the sleeves, with a minimum of effort, and with a minimum of seams.

To this end, my improved garment form comprises a body member of solid or hollow form, made of any suitable material such as wood, plaster of Paris, plastic or any other relatively rigid material which can be readily shaped, molded or otherwise formed in the desired size and shape of the person for whom the garment is to be made, and according to the style desired. The body member is provided with means for anchoring the fur skin thereto at the back center line thereof, preferably after wetting the skin, with the skin doubled upon itself and extending from the neck portion of the body member to the bottom of the latter. Additional anchor means, preferably in the form of sharp-pointed pins, are provided about the base of the body member to hold the skin in a downwardly stretched condition as the skin is drawn tightly about the body member from the back of the body member and therearound and across the front, while smoothing and shaping the skin to snugly fit about the body member, working one half of the skin at a time.

Due to doubling over the for skin as described in the foregoing, so that both halves are stretched and shaped about the body member one on top of another, the body member need be only a half section of a complete torso form, with the body member terminating on the vertical center line of the torso at both the back and front thereof. This facilitates the application, stretching, smoothing and shaping of the skins thereon since only one half of each skin is wrapped therearound at a time.

In order to form a complete garment in one piece as contemplated by the use of my special garment form referred to in the foregoing, the skin must be larger than is necessary to extend about the half-torso body of the form so that when both halves of the skin are wrapped therearound from the back center line to the front center line, the free edges of the skin will extend substantially beyond the front center line of the form to the extent sufficient to provide an inner facing or lining portion when folded inwardly at each of the front edges of the garment,

as well as the usual revers portions extending upwardly at the front of the shoulders of the garment, and also th usual collar lining portions around the neck portion of the garment. Accordingly, the form is additionally provided with suitable anchor pins spaced from the half-torso body of the form, said anchor pins being carried by a suitable supporting frame secured to the half-torso body, with the pins arranged on the frame to engage and anchor the free edges of the fur skin at appropriate points behind the neck portion at the top of the form, across the back of the shoulder portion, then downwardly along the supporting frame in laterally spaced relation to the front center line of the half torso portion of the form, and finally beneath the laterally extended bottom edge of the frame.

When the skin is so anchored to the garment form in a fully stretched, shaped and smoothed condition, and has become thoroughly dry, it may be cut along the anchor lines defined by the anchor pins on the supporting frame and then removed from the form for finishing of the garment in an obvious manner.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter described or will become apparent from the following detailed description.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of my improved garment form, with the body member thereof folded down on its supporting base to a horizontal position;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view showing the detachable and pivotal mounting connection between the supporting base and the body member of the garment form;

FIG. 3 is a View of the garment form in side elevation;

FIG. 4 is a front elevation of the garment form;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the garment form as seen from the side opposite to that of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a rear elevation of the garment form;

FIG. 7 is an exploded rear perspective view showing the manner in which a for skin is applied to the garment form, with the skin folded in half upon itself and anchored to the rear of the form;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged front perspective view of the garment form, with the fur skin partially applied thereto as the first half of the skin is being extended, stretched and smoothed thereon and with the free edge of the first half of the skin partially anchored to the form;

FIG. 9 is a modified form of fur skin as used in making a jacket, with the skin having an extension fabric stitched to the lower edge thereof toenable the skin to be fully anchored to the garment form in the same manner as a skin for making a full length garment; and

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary top plan view of the garment form of FIG. 8, showing the manner of attaching the fur skin to the rear of the form by a welt slidably received in an anchor slot.

Like reference characters designate corresponding elements in the several figures of the drawings, wherein 1 generally denotes the body member of my garment form, and 2 generally denotes a supporting base therefor. As best seen in 'FIGS. 1 and 2, the body member 1 is preferably pivotally mounted on the base 2 so as to be swingable from a horizontal position, as represented in full lines in FIG. 1, to a vertical position as represented in broken lines in this view, as desired for convenience in applying, stretching, smoothing and anchoring fur skins about the garment form. The pivotal connection between the body member 1 and the base 2 may be of any suitable type, such as a fixed post 3 disposed adjacent to one end of the base, the upper portion 3' of the post being hinged at 4 to the lower portion 3" on a horizontal axis, and the upper portion 3' preferably being rectangular in cross-section and tapered so as to snugly and non-rotatively seat in a socket extended inwardly into the bottom portion of the body member 1, thus allowing complete removal of the body member 1 from the base 2 if and when desired.

At the upper or neck end of the body member 1, it is extended in the form of a reduced stud or post 6 of generally rectangular cross-section which is receivable in a notch 7 formed in the upper end of an upright saddle or bracket 8 fixedly mounted adjacent to the end of the base 2 opposite to the post 3. The stud or post 6 is provided with an aperture 9 extended transversely therethrough and which is registrable with aligned apertures 10 extended transversely through the upper portion of the saddle or bracket -8 at opposite sides of the notch 7 for the reception of a removable locking pin 11 which serves to positively lock the body member 1 in its reclining position as shown in full lines in FIG. 1. By withdrawing the pin 11, the body member 1 may be swung to an upright or vertical position as shown in broken lines in FIG. 1, as permitted by the hinge 4, and can be locked in such upright position by any suitable type of latch or other restraining means, such as by cooperative hook and eye members 12, 13 respectively carried by the post members 3' and 3".

As best illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 7 of the drawings, the body member 1 has the general form of a half torso which includes a neck portion 14, a shoulder portion 15, a bust portion 16, a waist portion 17, and a hip and lower extremity portion 18, all of which generally correspond in size and shape to one half the dimensions of the human torso for which the garment is to be made, as measured from the back center-line 1 to the front center-line 1" on which the respective back and front of the body member terminate, with the length of body member as measured from the top of the neck portion 14 to the bottom of the hip and lower extremity portion 18 generally corresponding to the height of that part of the human figure which is to be covered by the garment being made. Recessed in an annular groove adjacent to the bottom of the lower extremity portion 18 of the body member 1 is a series of sharp-pointed anchor pins 20 which extend in a generally downward direction when the garment form is disposed in an upright position, and which serve to engage the lower edge of the fur skins F when the latter are applied in a tightly stretched and smooth condition about the garment form as hereinafter more fully described.

At the rear of the body member, suitable provision is made for anchoring the fur skins thereto along the back center-line 1'. For this purpose, I provide a recess 20" which extends longitudinally from top to bottom of the body member, as best seen in FIGS. 7 and 10, said recess being formed in either an integral lateral extension of the body member, or in a separate bar or rib 21 which is suitably anchored to the body member as by means of anchor screws 22 as shown in FIG. 7. The recess 20" is partially closed by an overhanging strip or plate 23 anchored to the bar 21 by nails or screws 24 so as to leave open only a narrow slot 25 immediately adjacent and parallel to the back center-line 1' at the rear of the body member 1. To anchor the fur skin to the back of the body member along the back center-line 1', a welt 26 having a cord 26' therein is loosely stitched to the vertical center of the hairless face of the skin and the welt can then be freely slid into the recess 20" from the top or the bottom of the latter while the skin is doubled or folded in half upon itself, thus leaving both halves of the skin free to be drawn and stretched tightly about the body member from the slot 25, across the back of the body member and then toward the front of the body member, one half at a time, working first with the underlying half F and then the overlying half F", as generally illustrated in FIG. 8.

In order to be able to secure the fur skins in a tightly stretched condition about the body member 1, additional anchor means are provided to engage the free lateral edges of the skin as each half of the skin is drawn tightly across the front of the body member in the manner depicted in FIG. 8 of the drawings. These additional anchor means are carried by a supporting frame or auxiliary member generally designated 27, said frame being formed either integrally with the body member 1, or separately as shown, with the frame rigidly anchored to the body member in laterally spaced relation thereto in any appropriate manner, as by means of the bars 28, 28. The upper end of the frame 27 is generally shaped at 14' complementary to the neck portion 14 of the body member 1, and beginning at the upper rear edge of the portion 14 of the frame is a series of sharp-pointed anchor pins 20', said pins preferably being recessed in the edge of the frame to minimize the likelihood of injury to the user of the garment form. The anchor pins project outwardly from the frame for convenient engagement with the fur skin as the skin is stretched tightly and brought into contact with the anchor pins. As best seen in FIGS. 4, 5 and 7, the pins 20' are preferably equidistantly spaced from each other and extend in the series downwardly along the rear edge of the neck portion 14' of the frame 27, then laterally across the back thereof, and then forwardly and downwardly along the lateral marginal edge of the frame to the bottom thereof, and finally in an inward direction at the front bottom edge of the frame, with all the anchor pins being preferably recessed as previously described. Such arrangement assures smooth and firm anchorage of the fur skins when applied to the garment form, while at the same time defining the boundary line to which the fur skin must be extended in order to form a lining portion 29 for each half of the garment at the front thereof, a revers portion 30 for each shoulder portion of the garment, and a collar lining portion 31 for each half of the collar forming parts of the garment, these portions 29, 30 and 31 being represented in broken lines in FIG. 9 which shows the general overall layout of a typical unitary fur skin before it is applied onto the garment form. In this view, the anchor welt 26 is shown as being secured to the skin on the centerline thereof prior to folding the skin on this line in the manner shown in FIG. 8.

Also in FIG. 9, an appropriate length of extension fabric designated 32 is stitched along a line 33 to the bottom edge of the fur skin when only a shorter length of fur skin is needed in making a short coat or jacket. For full length coats, however, the fur skin should be sufficiently long to extend to the bottom of the garment form, and the extension fabric 32 shown in FIG. 9 would not be needed.

If desired after applying the fur skin onto the garment form in a tightly stretched and smooth condition, as maintained by engagement with the anchor pins on the garment form, suitable strips or bands, not shown, of cloth, rawhide or the like may be wound about the garment form over the fur skin, particularly in the neck, bust and waist areas thereof, to assure more perfect fitting and shaping of the fur skin as it dries on the garment form. When form-fitting in the waist area is not desired, as in making so-called full or straight-line coats, the garment form may be padded to the required full shape in any suitable manner, or a straight-line garment form may be substituted for the form depicted in the drawings.

While the specific details of my invention have been shown and described herein, it is not confined thereto, as changes and alterations may be made without departing from the spirit thereof as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A form for use in making fur coats and the like from fur skins having an anchoring welt secured thereto and extending longitudinally along the central portion of a fur skin, said form comprising a body member corresponding in contour to a vertical half-portion of a human torso including the neck, shoulder, bust, waist and hip, said body member terminating at its back and front surfaces on a plane substantially corresponding to the front-to-back central median plane of the human torso, means at the rear of said body member defining a relatively narrow welt receiving slot extending longitudinally of said body member from top to bottom thereof adjacent to the terminating plane aforesaid, said slot being unobstructed at its opposite ends for slidably receiving the anchoring welt aforementioned, an auxiliary member extended laterally from the body member from top to bottom thereof, with its outer margin defining a complementary neck portion merging with a longitudinally extended straight edge spaced from the opposite marginal edge of the contoured body member at a distance greater than one-half the girth of a coat at the neck, shoulder, bust, waist and hips and corresponding to the limits of the extended edges of the front lining, revers and collar lining portions of the coat, and additional anchor means provided on the auxiliary member and on the base of the body member for releasably engaging the fur skin along its marginal edges remote from the welt when the welt is received in the anchoring slot and the fur skin is drawn tightly in a doubled relation from the welt to extend about the body member from the back across the front thereof and to the extreme outer marginal edges of the auxiliary member.

2. A form as defined in claim 1, wherein the additional anchor means comprise spaced anchor pins protruding from the body member and auxiliary member respectively, with the pins wholly lying within the outer surfaces of the form.

3. A form as defined in claim 1, wherein the additional anchor means comprise spaced anchor pins protruding from the body member and auxiliary member respectively, said anchor pins being equidistantly spaced about the bottom of the body and auxiliary members and also at the rear complementary neck portion and along the outer lateral marginal edge and bottom of the auxiliary member.

4. A form as defined in claim 1, combined with an elongated supporting base having a post hingedly mounted thereon at one end thereof and having a fixed saddle mounted thereon at the opposite end thereof, and wherein the body member is provided with a socket formed in the bottom thereof for slidably receiving the hinged post therein and is further provided with a fixed post extending from the top thereof and being seatable in the saddle aforesaid, and a locking pin removably insertable through the latter fixed post and the saddle when the post is seated in the saddle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 670,244 3/1901 Oppenhauser 223-68 872,718 12/ 1907 Duggins 223-68 2,3 13,3 74 3/ 1943 Thomas 223 -68 2,685,391 8/ 1954 Thomas 22'368 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. G. V. LARKIN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A FORM FOR USE IN MAKING FUR COATS AND THE LIKE FROM FUR SKINS HAVING AN ANCHORING WELT SECURED THERETO AND EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY ALONG THE CENTRAL PORTION OF A FUR SKIN, SAID FORM COMPRISING A BODY MEMBER CORRESPONDING IN CONTOUR TO A VERTICAL HALF-PORTION OF A HUMAN TORSO INCLUDING THE NECK, SHOULDER, BUST, WAIST AND HIP, SAID BODY MEMBER TERMINATING AT ITS BACK AND FRONT SURFACES ON A PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY CORRESPONDING TO THE FRONT-TO-BACK CENTRAL MEDIUM PLANE OF THE HUMAN TORSO, MEANS AT THE REAR OF SAID BODY MEMBER DEFINING A RELATIVELY NARROW WELT RECEIVING SLOT EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID BODY MEMBER FROM TOP TO BOTTOM THEREOF ADJACENT TO THE TERMINATING PLANE AFORESAID, SAID SLOT BEING UNOBSTRUCTED AT ITS OPPOSITE ENDS FOR SLIDABLY RECEIVING THE ANCHORING WELT AFOREMENTIONED, AN AUXILIARY MEMBER EXTENDED LATERALLY FROM THE BODY MEMBER FROM TOP TO BOTTOM THEREOF, WITH ITS OUTER MARGIN DEFINING A COMPLEMENTARY NECK PORTION MERGING WITH A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDED STRAIGHT EDGE SPACED FROM THE OPPOSITE MARGINAL EDGE OF THE CONTOURED BODY MEMBER AT A DISTANCE GREATER THAN ONE-HALF THE GIRTH OF A COAT AT THE NECK, SHOULDER, BUST, WAIST AND HIPS AND CORRESPONDING TO THE LIMITS OF THE EXTENDED EDGES OF THE FRONT LINING, REVERS ANC COLLAR LINING PORTIONS OF THE COAT, AND ADDITIONAL ANCHOR MEANS PROVIDED ON THE AUXILIARY MEMBER AND ON THE BASE OF THE BODY MEMBER FOR RELEASABLY ENGAGING THE FUR SKIN ALONG ITS MARGINAL EDGES REMOTE FROM THE WELT WHEN THE WELT IS RECEIVED IN THE ANCHORING SLOT AND THE FUR SKIN IS DRWAN TIGHTLY IN A DOUBLED RELATION FROM THE WELT TO EXTEND ABOUT THE BODY MEMBER FROM THE BACK ACROSS THE FRONT THEREOF AND TO THE EXTREME OUTER MARGINAL EDGES OF THE AUXILIARY MEMBER. 